Criminal Justice Colleges in Tennesse

Tennessee is known for its live music, flavorful cuisine, and outdoor activities. It is home to passionate sports fans and festival-goers. However, it is also the scene of high violent crime rates. Criminal justice schools in Tennessee are training people to tackle this problem: there are at least 38 criminal justice colleges in Tennessee. Online Tennessee criminal justice colleges are also available for those who do not live nearby a college, or simply want more flexibility. Graduates of Tennessee criminal justice schools should find plenty of police jobs in Tennessee, a state with the third highest violent crime rate in the nation.

Law Enforcement and Police Jobs in Tennessee

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the 2009 mean annual salary for protective services jobs, including law enforcement jobs in Tennessee, was $33,000, lower than the $41,740 national mean. In 2009, there were 62,530 people working in protective services in Tennessee, equaling 1 per 100.7 people (compared with 1 per 96.8 nationally). Those with law enforcement jobs in Tennessee are continually debating how to best tackle the state's ever-present high crime rate. The FBI reports that Tennessee's 2009 violent crime rate, while down by 7.3 percent from 2008, is much higher than the national average: 667.7 incidents per 100,000 people, compared with 429.5 per 100,000 nationally. Other Tennessee crime statistics (per 100,000 people) include:

Murder/manslaughter: 7.3 (national average = 5)

Robbery: 153.2 (national average = 133)

Rape: 31.7 (national average = 28.7)

Motor vehicle theft: 237.8 (national average = 258.8)

The Kingsport (TN) Times-News named the following as Tennessee's highest-crime cities, all of which have higher crime rates than the national average of 4.5 incidents per 1,000 residents:

Kingsport: 8.4

Rogersville: 7.2

Johnson City: 5

Bristol: 4.9

Criminal justice schools in Tennessee may prepare you to help the state tackle crime and make Tennessee safer.